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Never underestimate the power of love, and never dispute the strength of
creative collaboration.

Audiences soon will learn for themselves how disparate artistic disciplines
can bring timeless romance to life in Operaskia’s debut work, “Ceyx and Alcyone”
This original production debuts at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 16 at Lawndale Art
Center (4912 Main St.). Admission is free.

Operaskia is a two-artist troupe combining the forces of University of
Houston students, vocalist Heather Shore and visual artist Julie de Vries. “Ceyx
and Alcyone” marks the duo’s first work completed through UH’s Cynthia Woods
Mitchell Center for the Art Studio Residency. This performance also is part of
Lawndale Arts Center’s Open Studio series, which runs Nov. 16 – Jan. 5.

Employing projections of de Vries artwork and shadow puppetry alongside
Shore’s operatic vocals, Operaskia brings to life the classic and tragic tale of
a loving husband and wife who are eternally united following a deadly mishap at
sea.

“The mix of puppetry and music are well suited for the mythological and
romantic themes of this production,” de Vries said. “We are able to create a
setting that is appropriate for this tale, and one that really enhances its
fantastic elements.”

Shore and de Vries met while enrolled in the Mitchell Center’s “Collaboration
Among the Arts” course, which brings together students from different artistic
backgrounds to create innovative multi-disciplinary projects. Both were selected
for the Mitchell Center’s studio residency program, which allowed them to fully
develop “Ceyx and Alcyone” in a studio space provided by Lawndale Art Center.

“We are very grateful to have met through the Mitchell Center,” Shore said.
“Otherwise, we might not have had this opportunity to work together and develop
projects that we feel are reflective of ourselves as artists and as friends.”